Re: Apple IIgs Gaming Questions

[Andy McFadden <fadden@fadden.com>]

Tempest <tempest@atariprotos.com> wrote:
> Usually they just crap out while booting with some text that looks like
> some kind of assembler monitor program. These games work perfectly on
> my IIe, so I know its not the disk. I've also had some problems with
> some of my bootleg games (those 6-10 games on a disk ones), but with
> those I could understand if they didn't work since they bypass normal
> boot proceedures and do odd things to defeat copy protections.

Are you using a Disk ][ interface card or the smartport connector?  The
$C600 boot ROM changed, so some custom boot loaders don't work.  Cracked
versions of the games work fine.

> 2. How good is the IIgs RGB montior for Apple II games? I know IIe
> games were written with a composite monitor in mind, but they should
> work on the RGB monitor. However I've been told that the RGB monitor
> doesn't do a decent job with the double hi-res mode, which makes me
> nervous. I thought I noticed some odd color problems now and then, but
> it might be my imagination.

The double-hires color output is different on RGB.  If you were lucky
enough to get one of the Magnavox monitors that Resource Central sold
several years back, you can actually connect both RGB and composite
outputs and switch between them at will.

Double-hires color output is quirky, but it doesn't look bad.  There are
only a handful of games that actually used it, so unless you're really
into Airheart, I wouldn't make it your main decision point.  It's far
superior in all other modes.

> On a side note, I wish the IIgs montior wasn't so small compared to my
> IIe monitor.  Not to mention the inch boarder around the viewable
> screen, what is the reason for that?  Is there a way to get the picture
> to stretch to the edges of the monitor?

Not really.  There are a few programs that make use of the space, e.g. for
a scrolling text message.

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